Archive for the ‘Hardy’ Category

The following is Wonder’s VALUE BOARD, with a brief comment on each player. It is NOT A MOCK DRAFT. It is Wonder’s assessment of the best player available. As an example, Wonder does not project McFadden at #1 for Miami and he does not see the Giants necessarily taking Flowers or Talib either. The hope for the Giants is that someone of value AHEAD of those players is available and FALLS to #31… someone like Groves, Hardy or Cherilus. Gosder Cherilus is 6’7″, 314 lbs., switched to LT from RT in his senior year, and if you are not sure if the Giants will have interest… he played for Boston College, aka NY Giants North.

THE BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE, IN DESCENDING ORDER:

1. McFadden– POTENTIALLY biggest game changer2. Dorsey– ever hear of Warren Sapp?..4-3 ONLY3. Gholston– most POTENTIALLY dominant DE(4-3 end !!)4. Jake Long– best OT..and SAFE pick5. Chris Long– great att,motor,intangibles..(I think 4-3 end)6. Ellis– undervalued…could be anchor in 4-37. Rivers-hard to predict…I think best in 4-3 OLB (TB brooks?)8. Ryan– good but not great..needs a good team9. RCromartie– POTENTIAL BEST CB in YEARS10/11. Stewart/Mendenhall– GREAT value, studs12. Albert– disagree.think he should be TOP FIVE OG, not OT13. Clady– little unclear..good body..feet ??14. Thomas– I believe he WILL be the next TO on good team15. Balmer– versatile…3-4 NT or 4-3 DT..10 year solid pro16. Mayo– not sure he can play MLB..but GREAT ILB 3-417. Merling– just plug him into a 4-3 DE and let him play18. Harvey– Beast? or bust? has to play 4-3 DE19. Otah– MOOSE…if not quick enough, could be a prob20. Groves– POTENTIAL BEAST (see J. ABRAHAM !!)21. McKelvin– solid pro22. Keller– in new pass happy NFL, 60-70 catches/yr !!23. Jenkins– solid pro24. Hardy– “small” Harold Carmichael !! RED ZONE !!!25. Sweed– unclear..but if he learns to go across the middle..26. Cason– next group of solid cb’s27. Flacco (THIS MUST BE A NEED PICK..2-3 yrs away)28. Cherilus– plug him in at RT for next 10 years..29/30. Brohm/Henne (NEED PICK)- good value /pot..31. Flowers/Talib (pick one!) for COVER 2

We can guess all day whether Reese is in a position to trade up or trade down. My instinct is to believe that since this draft is deep enough through at least Round 2 (and more likely through Round 3), the Giants are going to sit back and wait for #31. Who is going to be available AND/OR a good pick at #31 for the Giants? WONDER answers that question for us:

CherilusMayoGrovesHardyBakerSweed?Keller

Wonder: “Groves is the best of this lot. Hardy is the steal of the draft.”

There are 7 guys listed here, and most will be gone by the time the Giants pick. Wonder is not a Connor fan. Given my personal preference for a Linebacker, GET GROVES! The Giants have not drafted a LB #1 in 24 years, so it is about freaking time! Plus, as much as I respect Wonder’s alert on a WR like Hardy, I do not like WRs in Round 1. Considering that the gmen just scored with Steve Smith at #2 last year and that they have Toomer, Burress, Jennings, Moss… just draft a WR in ~4th or 5th round (more on that this week) and focus on other areas. ALSO, the weakest link on offense for the Giants is now Diehl at LT, so if the Giants go Offense in Round 1 it should be for a guy like Cherilus before a WR. Defense wins championships and the reason we won the Super Bowl was not because we scored 17, it was because we held the Patriots to 14. Take LB Quentin Groves from Auburn and make the defense better.